Coming Full Circle

Well, THAT was a L-O-N-G week, wasn't it?  More like two!  I have my excuses, though, I always do.  I intended on posting earlier this week, complete with pictures of last weekend's celebration of my niece's graduation, Mother's Day, and My Birthday.  But my camera went on a field trip with the Boys, all before I had a chance to upload any photos.  They are back now after spending 3 exciting days doing rope courses through the Pine Trees of Bailey Colorado, complete with fresh snow fall (somewhere around 6"- got to love Spring in the Rockies).  So, they have inspired me to say "onward and upward" and get on with the blog!

Looking back on last weekend I am struck by one phrase, over and over, "full circle."  It was such a rich experience to see all my niece's loved ones come together to celebrate her accomplishment.  It was a beautiful day, made even more so by people reconnecting with eachother.  In some cases this reconnection was made after a long period of time, as in 20 years.  Touching really.

As I was preparing her slideshow I found this:

Yup, that's me circa 1989, holding Shannon (my niece) at my graduation from CU.  Again, full circle.  Which makes me think of what my friend Marilyn would say, "God (Love) is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."  Rich, yes?  Full to overflowing.

Which brings me to the lighter side of this celebration, decorations!  But not just any decorations.  I wanted decorations with meaning, with symbolism, of couse!  And what were they made of?  Yup, you guessed it, circles!  But not just any circles, these were made using Shannon's old exams.

The other decoration that was created for this past weekend was Mommy Chicken Prayer Flags.

I used leftover fabric from skirts, dresses, blouses and bags I had put together over the past few years.  Click here for a full tutorial.
Try as I might, I can hardly express my deepest gratitude for all those who helped out this past weekend, from the prepartion, food, pictures, heck, to all that everyone has done to help support and raise my niece to be the incredible young lady she is today.  It's true what they say, it does take a village to raise a child.  And if you don't believe me, believe my chickens!

Remember the eggs that I left in the coop to be hatched?  Well, they have 2 hens sitting on them, not one, but 2 and sometimes 3!  I just love that.  They don't care who they belong to, or even whether or not they laid them.  They see a need and if the time is right, and they are able, they fill it.  It's just that simple folks.

Really?

I don't know, maybe I'm not all that different from most of you, but every now and then I say to myself, "Really?  Is this what I natter on about?"  And I know that whatever I natter on about basically comprises my life.  You know, where your thoughts go, the energy flows?  But I can't help myself actually. I really do care about the little things.  It does indeed make my heart fit to burst putting together my little care packages full of a feast for the senses.

Lemon Cumin Tea Cookies

Such a weekend I had!  12 Lemons, really, do you know what 12 Lemons can add to a life?  Well I'll tell you, LOTS!  I zested and juiced all those suckers.  I now have a freezer bag full of ice cube sized fresh lemon juice just waiting to be made into lemonade, dropped into tea, or added to any number of recipes calling for some acid.  And the zest?  Well, I have my first ever batch of Limoncello in the works.  The zest is infusing some Vodka which will then be strained before adding a simple syrup.  And . . .Walla!   or Ta Dah!

Limoncello in the Works

But I think the best of all was looking at those emptied rinds and knowing that I couldn't just chuck them.  They are too acidic for the compost so I had to come up with something.  Done!  Little Fire Starters :)  I dehydrated them in a low oven overnight, now they are crispy, little shells that I am stuffing with dryer lint.  Perhaps before they are put to use I will melt leftover candles and pour the wax in them.

Some of you may think "Wow, she has way too much time on her hands" or "She must be crazy."  And who knows, you may be right?  For you anyway.  But I say, "Crazy is as crazy does."

From Auguries of Innocence
By William Blake
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.